Taiwan National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Cheng-wen said that the U.S. is not pushing through with its threat of a 300% tariff on chips, at least for those coming from the island. According to the Financial Times, Taiwan is currently finalizing a trade deal with the U.S. while awaiting the results of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Section 232 investigation. At the moment, U.S. President Donald Trump has applied a 20% tariff on Taiwanese goods, except for semiconductor imports.
“They understand that punishing Taiwan is not in their interests,” Wu told the Financial Times. He also said that the island will help the United States with the development of its semiconductor industry, especially with building science parks. “Of course, there’s the recipes of how to make the chips, but it’s also about the science park management, attracting companies, integrating academic research with industry,” he adds. “No other country has done what we have done.”
